essential oils, herbs, potions & notions

Chinese Rose Essential Oil, rosa rugosa

Recently I decided to branch out from my favorite rose oils — Bulgarian and Turkish — and try Chinese rose essential oil from Mountain Rose Herbs, my trusted resource. Not organic but cultivated without chemicals, the little bottle arrived and I truly didn’t know what to expect. My books don’t mention it for therapy or perfumes, but when I went on to Mountain Rose’s site they had nothing but wonderful things to say about it.

When I opened the bottle I found — like its Turkish kin — it doesn’t smell like a rose. But wow does it smell incredible: honey, cinnamon, floral but not obviously the typical “rose” scent. I am completely in love with this oil!

A dear friend of mine, who is a master gardener, informed me that rosa rugosa is the root of all other rose species, hybrids, etc. Of course! The wild rose is the Mother of the Queen of Flowers. This made me even more smitten with the oil.

Wouldn’t you know it, as I was looking around online for a rosa rugosa image for this post, I came across a fantastic site that talks about aromatherapy combined with Traditional Chinese Medicine. My kind of place! Here is a quote from this great site:

“Rosa rugosa, or Mei Gui Hua, while not the same species as the plants which yield the valuable rose essential oil of aromatherapy, deserves attention in my opinion due to the fascinating indications with which it is attributed. While the constituents of this plant are sure to differ from the roses which are distilled and so coveted by aromatherapists, its aroma can attest to the similarity of their compounds.

The Chinese rose acts upon the organs/meridians of the spleen and liver. One of its most common uses is in the Chinese pathology of “liver attacking the spleen”, a common diagnosis. This pathology manifests in nausea, a bitter taste in the mouth, and fatigue. The “general” of the body, the liver in a governmental analogy, can become overactive and “insult” the spleen, which is already prone to deficiency, manifesting in poor memory/concentration, loose stools and fatigue. Rose can help re-establish harmony between these two organs. Its action can result in decreased digestive upsets, increased energy and mood, as well as improved menstrual symptoms. The liver, responsible for the storage of blood, governs the menstrual cycle closely. Depression, epigastric or flank fullness, breast tenderness and menstrual cramps all fall under the heading of “liver Qi stagnation”. Rose can help to regulate the Qi of the liver, relieving many menstrual complaints. Modern medical research has also pointed to the cholagogic actions of the rose.”